The Washington critic., 1887-08-19
TOPICS OF TIE DAY.

admiration for the Washington MOnu-
ment. He says: 81 have been living
now for some months at distance Of
mile away, in full view of the Wash.
ington Monument, looking directly
upon Its eastern face. 1t never seemed
twice alike. 1t has Its moods and
changes of color, like the tops of the
Swiss Alps. This morning the base of
the 600foot structure was lost In deep
blue mist, which filed the valley for a
depth of couple Of hundred feet.
Then came section of perhaps 100 feet
more In which the shaft was purple and
pink, the whole crowned with white
blazing column, hundreds of feet high,
flashing back the sunlight, set against
a deep blue western sky At another
time you will sec the cold, gray base of
the monument rising above the deep
green foliage which surrounds IL,
with the dark blue highlands
of Arlington beyond, and over.
topping all these the graceful
shaft pierces the heavens, towering far
above the horizon line until Its top Is
lost In a sea of fleecy clouds. 1t Is
realized vision of Jacobs ladder, real
visible stone causeway leading from
heaven to earth, Do you know of any
other monument like that ? A few
evenings ago there was grand thun.
der shower In the East The West was
black with darkness and even the white
monument was blotted out of sight.
But at every flash of the lightning the
whole eastern face of the monument
CLEANED and flashed like polished
sword, coming out of the darkness with
suddenness and vividness that was
startling. 1t seemed to be CHASTITY
monument, column of electricity,
which leaped from the earth to the sky.
! am sure no other monument in this
world can exhibit such phase as that"
Mr.. Ben. Wood fell into mood
reminiscent the other night, says a
World correspondent, as he sat on the
front portico of the Grand Union
slowly smoking good night cigar.
II will never forget the first time l saw
my name In print" he said. "I was
lad of twenty-one, and fairly popular
In the ward where l lived in New
York. A primary was about to be held
for the nomination of police justice.
The man who had held the Office a
long time had earned the ill.will OF a
friend of mine, who asked me to help
him get enough votes to nominate
another man In the place of the offend
Ing magistrate. / did so, and my man
received the nomination. The next
morning, as left the house, took up
the New York Herdld, and in the first
editorial column was reference to the
meeting of the night before, and sug
gestion that the change of nominees
had been brought about by coercion,
In the form of man named Wood,
who had gone to the primary leading a
gang of rullians, who forced the result.
grew pale with anger. Riding down
town In the stage, with mind
fully made up TO cowhide Bennett,
thought was recognized by every one
that looked at me as the leader Of the
ruflianly gang. / reached the Heruld
office, inquired for Mr.. Bennett aud
was soon shown into the august pres.
ence. Producing the paper, said,
quivering with rage: Did you write
thai?' He glanced at the paragraph.
"
two or three bell cords. Three Of his
aids came in. Then, turning to me,
he said In his broad Scotch is your
name Wood? How old are you?
Twenty one, eh? Only twenty one?
Wei, sir, you ought to be the proudcst
young man In this big city today to
have made yourself the subject of
editorial reference In the New York
I 70
thank me- In five minutes / left the
office, feeling that l was the biggest
boy In town and Bennett my warmest
admlrer. The old fellow was smart
one."
~
What business has any man to live
beyond his means asks Major Davis IL
the Minneapolis Tribune, aud yet, he
continues, seven elghths of the "hard
up" clerks in Washington to day do so
! know of young man receiving
81 400 year, who lives with his young
wife, a 11.months' old babe and two
servants, In q house he pays $50 {
month for, and one of the half dozer
entertainments they gave last winter
cost him-so he told me himself-ovel
xiC0 And during the opera season
the couple attended, on the average
two performances each week That!
all right It's nobody's business bu
theirs. But no wonder the salary can
support them. Twice 81 400 wouldn
DO It, and they could easily manage t.
get away with three times that amour
and sill be In debt at the end Of th'
year, for doubt If there is any place II
the world where to person incllned t,
be spendthTift, or TO "put on airs,
there are so many opportunities +
the square foot for him to get hi
ill as can be found in this city o
"maguificent distances" Nearly ever,
nationality is represented In all form
of social life, and In every conceivable
fashion, on the street, and at publi
and private receptions, aud there Is II,
end TO the charms aud fascinatlons on
may meel-Gnd he can meet them Il
proportion TO the length of his purse
strings. And so it happens that /
costs more 10 live here than anywhere
else In the country, IL men aud womel
want and get everything they see, u
so many men and women do. Bu
there are clerks here who live aud sup
mort large families on Comparatively
small salaries and not few save none,
and own comfortable homes, not Mt th,
expense of denying themselves neceS
sary luXuries, but who have all the,
desire. | know clerk whose sllar,
at 20 time during the past fifteen year
has exceeded ~ 900 Yet ne owns tn
house he lives in-worlh some $50
and has respectfully brought mp au'
educated three daughters, withon
ever owing dollar he couldn'
pay; and when any one talks TO hiu
about the impossiblily of living on